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January 20, 2015

as my 2015 gets off to a crazy start, i find myself in the same place i usually begin the new year... wanting to start anew, wondering what God's plan is for me, and wondering if i am following said plan or my own. always the same, always wondering.

this year it's pretty undeniable that i am being told to SIMPLIFY. despite the fact that i have an awesome knack for creating chaos, i will give it my best shot. for my creative soul, this is so TOUGH. i am constanlty tempted to over commit, over do, over work, over buy, over think, over, over, OVER. i am over, OVERRING! i'm pretty sure i am not alone in this. am i right?

begining with this mess of a blog, i'm going to try my darndest to get the "simple" ball rolling. for YEARS, my blog has been a mash-up of all things me... my business, my faith, my personal life, hobbies, etc. because of the chaos, and lack of direction, i kinda-sorta started ignoring this blog. but in the meantime, my brain continued to get backed-up with ideas and thoughts just waiting to be let loose. in the next few weeks, i am going to be transitioning over to a separate blog for my business and one for all other things "me". i will also be making some big decisions as far as what direction i want to take my business. its going to be a challenge for me to stay focused. seriously. i can do this right?

obviously i have much more pressing items up for simplification, but i figured using my blog voice to get it out there would be a good place to start. it's a kind of like, "if i say it out loud, it's harder to back out." , ya know?

so that's, that. another year, another challenge. out there for all to see. hold me accountable. don't be shy. i need it.

October 27, 2014

if you follow me on instagram, i posted this yesterday, but it was so cute i had to share again! my baby boy brought this little pinecone in to me yesterday afternoon and said, "i thought, my mom would like this. maybe she can make like a replica or something." i love being a mom :) i'm going to do my best to "replicate" it just for him.

and thats it for the creative side of things today... leave now if you don't want to hear about my first wine tasting experience with my dear mom :)

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a couple of weeks ago,a friend and i surpised my mom with a weekend in sonoma to go wine tasting for her birthday. my mother-in-law happens to live there, so it was very cool to spend the weekend with all 3 of these ladies. my mom turned 73 and had never been wine tasting before, so that made it even cooler :) wine is not my thing, but i love the area and still had lots of fun.

for anyone planning on visiting, here are a few of things we did that i would recommend.

we started off the weekend with burgers at "the annex wine bar". every friday night is "burger night", and you have a choice of 3 types of burgers and choice of sides for $10. there is live music and a nice patio with a fire pit. the burgers were good and, i am told, the wine was pretty good too ;) very laid back atmosphere if you want to just chill for a bit and grab some simple food.

my mother-in-law works at a winery and had made reservations for our tour at 1:30, so we headed out for some sightseeing before the tour. the sonoma town square is so cool. the shops and restaurants are fabulous. we toured the mission and for our $3 admission. we also got to tour the general vallejo home. the tours are self-guided, short and sweet and we were done in less than an hour.

check out the creepy cherubs in the next photo... eeee :/

next stop, the wine tour at benziger family winery . it was great, even for this non-wine drinker. we went at the very end of harvest, which was a great time to visit. the "wine tram tour" took us around the vinyard and the guide shared a bit about the biodynamic process that they use. we were taken into the wine caves and we even got to try our hand at pushing down the grapes in fermenting vats. the property is beautiful and i definitely recommend going if you are in the area.

i am definitely NOT a selfie master quite yet...

from benziger, we went on to their sister winery, imagery. it seemed to be a kind of "younger" crowd here. they offered pizza and a large center bar area where we did our tastings. well, they did at least ;) the grounds were beautiful here as well. of course i had to get photos of flowers for inspiration for my crepe projects. at one point my fabulous friend P, was inside of a very large poppy plant trying to hold the flower for me to get my photo.... im spoiled, i know. there was a huge picnic area as well as the deck area. again, if you are in the area, it's worth a stop in to see. bonus: grama rosie, as she is known to most, found some jelly...

onward... the two wineries were about all we had time for, so we headed back to sonoma sqare for dinner. we decided on the swiss hotel. really great food; steaks, coups, salads, etc. the outdoor patio had a great atmosphere, however, the service was less than impressive. our waiter was pretty put out that we had so rudely come to dine in his space for my moms birthday. the customers seated next to us had a birthday as well and were brought the customary dessert to acknowledge the occasion... no such luck for dear mom. the waiter was duely compensated with his tip ;) the swiss hotel may want to evaluate the customer service of their staff in the near future. other than the waiter, it was an enjoyable dinner and the food was very good.

the rest of evening was great too and we stayed up late chatting. the next morning, we hit the square, YET AGAIN. i'm telling ya, it's a great place! we had breakfast at the basque boulangerie. we had seen the bakers working hard on friday night and had wanted to be sure to stop in before we left. the place was packed and had a long line, however, the service was so quick! they offer an online ordering service, but we didn't even need it as the line went so fast.

bottom line, everywhere we went was great and we had a great time.... even with the horrible waiter!

September 24, 2014

i survived my first workshop! there were only 4 of us, which turned out to be a blessing for me since i was nervous and wasn't sure how i would go about teaching. lisa at wildwood DIY is awesome and i am grateful to her for giving me this opportunity :)

i have a few kits from the class left over and i am going to be offering them in my etsy shop if anyone is interested. i will also include a video tutorial to go along with the kits. each kit has enough paper and supplies to create oriental poppies & buds, california poppies and bachelors buttons. there is a LOT of paper in these kits. not sure how many flowers it will make, but it will make quite a few. it also includes templates and a cutting guide. the video tutorial will show you how to put it all together. you will need tacky glue and floral tape, which is not included. if anyone is interested, let me know and i will list them.

September 19, 2014

holy crap... it's almost here. so i mentioned a couple of weeks ago that i am teaching my first workshop on the 2oth. oh. my. gosh. i am so nervous! i've never taught a class before and i don't know how comfortable i am in front of a group of people... hopefully they are all awkward, crafty nerds like me. but i'm not betting on it, eek :/

i also had joked about the whole idea of costumes having been made out of crepe paper back in the day... well, my dear mother read that comment and surprise, surprise.....

my mama in a crepe paper dress. holy cuteness! and look at those curls! every one of these dresses and hats are made from crepe paper. crazy. so there ya have it, crepe paper costumes in all their glory; circa 1946 ... i ain't got nuthin' on those crafty ladies. oh, and, uh, sorry for dating you mom ;)

ok, so if you want to play with paper, and have saturday free, come to my super fun workshop at wildwood DIY studio , 2-4pm ...

and all you crafty men out there are welcome to come too ;) my super hot husband will be there.... ok, not really, but he could if he wanted to.

September 15, 2014

UPDATE: i left out the oven temp. for the muffin recipe in the original post. i have updated the recipe card now :)

every year around this time, i start nesting... over the summer, i always think to myself, "i wish it would never end." but then, as soon as school starts, i am craving cooler weather. the muffin tins and comfort food start dominating our table, and i start settling in... just like clock-work. although its still 90 degrees out, i guess i am hoping that my nesting efforts give the weather a little nudge to cool down.

this recipe makes about 4 dozen or more muffins. i tried to come up with a "healthier" muffin that i could give little buddy and not feel as guilty. he LOVES them. i used SMART BALANCE for the butter, which is a non-GMO product and has no trans-fats. i also used organic lactose-free milk. they freeze well too. just let them thaw for a bit in an open container before serving. you can also make some sweetened whipped cream with cinnamon to make these a super yummy fall dessert.

{click on the recipe to open to a larger window and print the 4x6 recipe card}

September 10, 2014

WAY back in march, i threw a minecraft party for little buddy and a few of his friends. it was a bit last minute, as is everything i do, but i think it pulled together well. for any of you that have a minecraft obsessed child (or adult) in the house... this one's for you ;)

i made the cake and covered it with squares of fondant. the large boxes were covered with the blocks i found on a great minecraft website and had printed at staples on glossy paper. the smaller blocks were printed on glossy cardstock, cut and assembled. there are links below to everything i used :)

the take-out contatiners were filled with "red vine" TNT .

for the pinata, i bought a cheap "gift box" pinata at walmart. it was super simple to make: pull the tissue paper off of the pinata. then cut strips of white tissue paper and fringed it. wrap the fringed strips around the box using tacky glue. cut out squares of construction paper in grey, black and red for the face and glue on. make long strips of tissue for the fringe at the bottom.

the boys each made a mask using squares of construction paper that i pre-cut and one big, square piece of chipboard.

funny fact: i forgot to get candles for the cake. we tried lighting spaghetti instead; not so good. we settled on tea lights instead :)

August 29, 2014

aaannnd, i'm back... again! i've been trying to get back to my little bloggity-blog, find my voice and be consistent for a few years now. yes, years. lame, i know. as my dear hubby says, "it is what it is." its been about 9 months since my last post, so we will see how i do this time. here we go...

anyone who knows me, knows that i am always making something. cakes, food, invitations, etc., for my etsy shop... anything... all the time... just need to be MAKING something. i can't help myself. it's what i do and what makes me happy. true to form, it didn't take long for me to find a new hobby. this newest crafty making adventure, is crepe paper... flowers, pinatas, decorations... just anything made with crepe paper. i'll just add this to my long list of "granny crafts". granny crafts are trendy right now, so that means i'm kinda cool, right? didn't think so ;)

moving on ...

my super crafty friend opened a DIY boutique in south lake tahoe this past summer. i feel so blessed that she has asked me to teach a workshop. i am super excited... and super scared, since this is the first time i will have ever taught a class, eek :/. if you are in the lake tahoe/ carson valley area, and want to play with some paper, come join us! if all goes well, i hope to teach more workshops through the holidays.

if you'd like to sign up or just want to know more about lisa and her studio, just click on the photo to take you to the wildwood DIY studio site :)

i love how "retro" crepe paper is. it was very common in the 40's and 50's and was used to make all kinds of decorations and even costumes. hmmm, somehow i don't think a costume out of crepe paper would hold up well... i'm thinking, spilling my drink at the costume party, dripping a little dip down my front... not a good idea. below is my little book of awesomeness that dares to share how one would create such a costume as well as many other delights, such as, ruffled nut cups. so many projects, so little time...

back to the workshop... below are the samples for the workshop that i finished last night... please excuse the awful lighting and photos. it was late. the leaves need a little tweeking but you get the idea.

{california poppy, bachelor button and oriental poppy}

this is what each person will take home after the class... with some extra supplies to make more on their own :) so go check out the wildwood DIY studio site !

so there ya have it... 9 months and this is all i've got. not really. i've got A TON to share, but i will break it down into easily digestable chunks :) i've got craftiness, parties, multiple adventures, {and the occasional "serious note"} to share with you. oooh, and i almost forgot, dr. who... if you like that sort of thing... if not, back away now.

all joking aside... in this crazy, beautiful, messy, blessed life, if nothing else, i hope that i can bring a smile, a giggle or some inspiration to your day by sharing my everyday experiences :)

December 09, 2013

2013 has been one of the most difficult years for our family. i haven't blogged since april due to a number of reasons.... but mainly, life just got really tough and exhausting and blogging was the last thing on my mind.

i am not one to divulge a bunch of messy, family details for the WWW to see, so lets just say, it's been an EXTREMELY difficult, life-changing, depressing, at times, but joyful year. i have learned a TON over the past 6 months or so. rejoicing in the happy times AND the trials has never been so difficult. many times, i found myself wanting to cross-over into the pit of self-pitty and wallow in my anger and frustration.... but with a lot of prayer, my awesome husband and family by my side (and talking myself down a few times!), i thankfully did not go down that path.

God must have been preparing me for this year for a LONG time. He knew that the most difficult challenge for me was remembering to have grace through it all. late last year, i had felt so compelled by the idea of grace that i had this tattoo done on my forearm as a reminder... {by the way, it was done by the best tattoo artist around, reed mather at lake monster tattoo in tahoe}

little did i know how handy that reminder would be this year. this verse has been a constant for months, just lingering and gently reminding me that i am guilty of many sins... BUT i am saved by grace... SO, i need to have grace for others.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

most of the issues were not or our own doing, personally. not to say we are EVER without fault in life, but in this case, the issues at hand had to do with others very close to us, which effected us greatly. the fact that God has grace on me... ME, who does not deserve it in any way, shape or form, has humbled me. the fact that He forgives me when i don't deserve to be forgiven, humbles me. the fact that He loves me through all of it, humbles me. so, i had to ask myself, "what right do i EVER have to NOT forgive all of the things that have happened this year or any time, and not to show love to anyone i feel may have wronged me?". my goal is to love others as God loves me and to show grace to others as He has shown me. this year has tested and strengthened me. it has been all at once, awful AND awesome and i am so thankful for all of it. maybe, one day, i will be able to help someone else going through the same challenges because of what i have gone through. i have seen this happen time and time again in my life and i hope it continues.

it has been a long road to grace and forgiveness, that continues as i type this. i am far from being able to say that i have completely forgiven everything, or that i am able to show grace at all times. but i am working on it wholeheartedly and with a lot of joy in my heart. the fact that i have been able to keep my joy is a miracle and i am so, so thankful for that.

the year was not all doom and gloom, either. we had family weddings, engagements, short trips and lots of beach days. little buddy played baseball and soccer and joined the "young thespians" group in our community. we've also been blessed with friendships that have grown for, not only myself, but for our son and my husband as well. we've been able to spend more time with family that we once hardly even knew. business has been slower than normal, but it has given me extra time to spend with the little guy. so, although the year had some very tough times, there was a lot of good mixed in too!

...and that's all i've got for todays "deep thoughts"! now on to some totally shallow and non-important topics :)

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i am so excited to be celebrating the holiday season and looking forward to a new year ahead... no matter what it brings! i will be trying to share some of what i am doing around here over the next few weeks. recipes, craftiness and items from my etsy shop. since most of you reading are either family or friends, let me know if there are any recipes or crafty things you would like for me to share.

as you can see from the photo, elfie was a little late this year.... he was..uh, a little.... lost... i know, BAD MOM! yep, i hid him so well last year that i couldn't find him.... for 2 days! but all is well in christmas land and elfie is up to his shenannigans again.

in the pinkcherymama shop, my days have been filled with making snowflakes and christmas toppers! they hit pinterest and i got a flood of orders! most recently, i provided some to a big company who will be doing an online feature of a party using my toppers. so i am really excited to share once i have the details!

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i feel like winter took it's time this year. but finally the snow fell... it got REALLY cold... and i am LOVING it!

the chilly weather came just in time for the annual christmas tree lighting in our town... and it was soooo cold!!!! i couldn't even get a decent photo :( little buddys choir sung carols and then we got the heck out of there...

like everything else this year, i was late getting my christmas decorations up, well most of them :) with the help of little buddy...

and an old mixed-tape of mine that big daddy found, we got most of it done in an afternoon. don't judge my mix-tape. you know you loved some doug e fresh back in the day!

oh and, yep, i do let my son climb on top of the furniture, much to my mother's dismay..... pick your battles, i say!

*no children were harmed during the decorating of this house*

i'll be writing again this week.... probably..... maybe... most likely... with some recipes and more photos of my super tacky, colorful christmas decorations! woohoo! so until then, i hope you are staying warm and cozy and full of tacky christmas cheer ;P

April 29, 2013

i won't even try to catch up on all that has gone on over the past few months but i'll share the highlights :)... one thing is for sure, i am a total failure at being consistent with this bloggity blog :/

the year seems like it is just flying by at turbo speed... am i the only one?!?!? everything seems to be happening so quickly; faster than usual even....

he is playing baseball again and big daddy is coaching (which he LOVES). life is trucking along as usual :)

something i thought i'd never say, i have almost completely stopped using my DSLR, in exchange for my iphone camera now. i actually feel less stressed and i am able to enjoy myself more without that thing strapped to my neck all the time! with life going by so fast, it's just more convenient to use my iphone and share on the go. and i have totally become an insta-addict, by the way! (instagram user name: pinkcherrymama of course!)

in march, we had a little mini get-a-way to santa cruz and went to the monterey bay aquarium as well, to celebrate little buddys birthday... it's our favorite place to be... like a second home:

hmm, what else? our oldest daughter went on a mission trip to mexico with almost 1,000 people! don't have any photos, but super cool! and, in lighter news, i have developed a slight obsession with jasmine tea and almond cookies. i blame the tea gardens in SF for this :)

i finally got my little guest room/ craft room pretty much done. just need to paint so that it doesn't look like a nursery anymore! i am finding myself hanging out in there a few minutes a day just to get some "creative mama time" in, which is honestly really helping me with my "creative frustration". it was big daddy's idea for me to try it, and he was right... as usual... but don't tell him that! i am so blessed to be able to do what i love as a business, but sometimes, it does get.. blah. i am totally enjoying having a space to create and make whatever i want... it's super rad :). this is what i am currently up to in there:

my girls think i'm such a dork with my "project life" scrapbook stuff, but i don't care :) they'll be glad i did it when they are 60 years old!

i am also still going strong with my little lamp restoration projects. my mom had an old "tramp art" lamp that my great-grandfather had made her years ago. i had it tucked away in a box in the garage for ever and finally broke it out to finish repairing it. i'll show finished photos soon :)

ok, last thing i'll share for today... our good friends got married and big daddy was the best man :) i made the cake...

if you happen to stop by this little blog of mine, leave me a comment. i'd love to know who actually reads this thing ;P